I don't know what I expected from Horace before playing. I've played so many retro-inspired pixel platformers over the last 10 years, each scored by catchy throwback chiptune soundtracks, that I've lost count. Don't get me wrong: I love them. They're my bread and butter, and while I'll never tire of them, they do admittedly begin to roll into one after a while. I guess I went into Paul Helman and Sean Scapelhorn's love letter to the 8 and 16-bit eras of gaming, the very ones that I cut my teeth on 30 years ago, expecting more of the same.
What I didn't expect from Horace – the indie gem that launched on Steam in mid-2019, Nintendo Switch in October 2021, and PS4 and Xbox One just a few weeks ago – was for my jaw to hit the floor while getting to grips with its masterful perspective-shifting sidescrolling. I didn't expect to curse aloud when it killed me more times than Elden Ring in a flooded basement lined with malfunctioning electrics. I didn't expect to double over laughing at its effortlessly tongue-in-cheek references to bygone pop culture. And I sure as shit didn't expect to be on the verge of tears when reminded of playing Space Harrier on the Atari ST with my late uncle years before he passed.
